


New Beginnings

by pinkys_creature_feature



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: EMT!Eames, Kum & Go emplyee!Arthur, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-30 23:06:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17232851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkys_creature_feature/pseuds/pinkys_creature_feature
Summary: Arthur works over night at a gas station and he has a crush on a handsome EMT that comes in for the free coffee.





	New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brookebond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brookebond/gifts).



> For the wonderful Brooke! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 
> 
> My prompt was "Brandy"... I kind of ran in a random direction.
> 
> Art is by the lovely Maourin! 
> 
> Chibi's by the enchanting Amy! 
> 
> Thank you to Violet for the quick beta!
> 
> Thanks so much guys! I love you all.

Arthur straightened his bright red name tag and collar as he watched the ambulance pull up in the snowy parking lot. He checked his hair in the reflection on the register screen as stealthily as he could. 

This was the only bright spot of his long overnight shifts. When HE came in. 

Arthur had been in his senior year of college when everything went to shit. His mother had fallen ill and he was forced to come back home to take care of her. He quickly dropped his classes, moved back to upstate New York and took the first job he could find that paid more than minimum wage. 

That’s how he found himself alone in a Kum & Go working 10 hour overnight shifts, cleaning bathrooms and making endless pots of coffee for the last 10 months. His mother was doing much better but Arthur wasn’t sure what to do now-- go back to school? Stay with his mom and help out?

It was his second week when he met Eames. He had been stocking cigarettes behind the counter when the front door dinged. Arthur greeted the new comer with an absent minded ‘hello’ over his shoulder, not even looking up from his work. 

“Well hello, yours is a face I don’t recognize.” Arthur glanced over his shoulder to investigate the source of that smooth, accented voice. 

Arthur froze at the sight of broad shoulders clad in navy blue, the bullet proof vest exaggerating the man’s shoulder to hip ratio. Grey eyes watched him with slight amusement as Arthur tried not to gawk. 

The man was gorgeous. Arthur cleared his throat and stood up. “Hi. Sorry,” Arthur smoothed his black uniform shirt nervously. “What can I do for you?”

The man grinned at him, his thick lips quirking to once side. “The coffee fresh? These 24 hour shifts are absolute murder.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Arthur stuttered, “I made it about an hour ago. If you want I can make you a fresh pot if you want.” 

“Not necessary. I just need something to stave off exhaustion a bit longer.” The man’s radio crackled, another accented voice rang out and asked ‘Eames’ for an energy drink. 

“You are in the truck Yusuf. Come in and get it yourself,” Eames responded. 

Arthur glanced outside to see an ambulance parked in the empty lot. “You’re a paramedic?” Arthur asked, not able to stop himself as he followed Eames towards the coffee pots.  
“Well, EMT at the moment. Yusuf,” Eames gestured to the ambulance, “He’s the paramedic. I’ve got another year before I can test for it.” 

“I was in pre med when I had to drop out of school,” Arthur couldn’t stop himself from talking and apparently Eames enjoyed it as well. 

Eames stood sipping coffee with Arthur for nearly an hour, Yusuf eventually joining them. They chatted and laughed, waiting when Arthur had to step away to attend to other customers. They had to leave when their radios crackled to life with a jumble of phrases Arthur didn’t understand. 

“Sorry darling, duty calls. How much do we owe you for the coffee?” 

“It’s on the house. Company policy.” 

“Terrific.” Eames shot Arthur a blinding smile as he rushed out the door. 

Arthur shook the memory from his head as the ambulance’s doors opened and Eames slid down from the driver’s seat. Yusuf waved at Arthur before slipping into the back. Eames informed him that Yusuf tried to catch a quick nap whenever he could and Arthur completely understood. 

“Good morning Arthur! How is this lovely December weather treating you?” Eames was chipper; Arthur had learned that it meant that the night had been busy, Eames was probably still running off an adrenaline high. 

“Well, it’s a week before Christmas and there is 3 feet of snow on the ground. To say it’s been slow is an understatement. I can’t complain though. I get all my work done. Itlooks like you have been busy?” 

“People just don’t know how to drive in this weather. Three extractions from cars in one night. Everyone was alright, a few bumps and bruises. But really, if you can’t drive on snow, stay home.” Eames rubbed a hand over his short cropped hair. “I still say you should go test with us. You would make an amazing EMT.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah, you’re smart, quick witted, thorough. Everything you need to be to save a life.” 

“I don’t know. I have the possibility of a management position here. In another few years I could have my own store.” Arthur was secretly afraid that if he left this job he would never see Eames again. 

Arthur still hadn’t given Eames his number. He was too chicken. What if Eames wasn’t interested? He would just embarrass himself. 

‘This is fine.’ Arthur told himself. He gets to spend a little time with Eames most nights and that was enough. 10 Months he had been pining after Eames; why break the streak now? 

“That sounds awful boring. You can’t tell me you’re that kind of stick in the mud that would be happy with that.” 

“The pay is insane when you get to the higher levels. 50k plus a year.” 

“I don’t make that much as a EMT but overtime is easy to get and I make a good living.” 

“I’ll think about it,” Arthur lied. He thought about it everyday. He had a tab open on his laptop with the application open, ready to be filled out. He just hadn’t hadn’t had the courage to do it. The testing process was pretty grueling and to fail would just be too much for Arthur. 

The doorbell rang, pulling Arthur out of his thoughts. Eames got a call as well and had to duck out. 

Arthur sighed, the rest of the night moving as slow as ever. 

It was two days before Christmas when someone got into a fight in front of the store. Arthur was on the phone to the police when he watched one man lift the other in the air and slam him into the concrete before throwing a drink on him as a final insult. 

Arthur rushed out the door, snapping a picture of the man’s license plate as he peeled out of the parking lot. Arthur rushed to the man on the ground checking his pulse. The man was out cold. 

Arthur’s heart pounded as he stayed on the phone and did his best to stabilize the man. Arthur stripped off his jacket, pressing it against the gash in the man’s head, trying to stem the flow of blood. 

Moments later blue and red lights flickered around him, the siren of the ambulance ringing in his ears. He looked up to see Eames rushing towards them, Yusuf not far behind, large bags slung over their shoulders. 

Yusuf fell to his knees next to the injured man, gesturing for Arthur to move away. Arthur sat back on his heels, his hands coated with the man’s blood. 

“Arthur? Are you alright?!” Eames asked crouching next to him. 

“What?” Arthur asked, in shock. 

“Come with me.” Eames insisted, picking up the phone where it had fallen and saying a few quick words to before hanging up and urging Arthur to his feet. 

Arthur stumbled in a daze as he was lead to the back of the ambulance. Eames looked up as police showed up as well as a second ambulance. Arthur stared blankly at Eames’ gloved hands as he checked Arthur over. 

“Darling, you gave me quite a fright.” 

Arthur glanced up, catching Eames’ concerned look. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. 

“No need to be sorry. I heard the call that someone was hurt here and I couldn’t stop thinking it might have been you.” 

Arthur was silent, unable to process what Eames was saying. The cold of metal bumper under his bottom, leaching through his khakis. Arthur shivered, realizing exactly how cold it was. 

Eames silently pulled off his standard issue jacket, wrapping it around Arthur’s shoulders. It smelled of Eames, making little Arthur start to stand to attention. Arthur cleared his throat and pushed the thought away, he didn’t need the reminder of how long it had been since he had gotten laid. No way Eames liked him. They had been flirting for months. If he wanted more he would have asked Arthur out by now. He was just concerned because of the incident. 

Arthur’s boss was there before the other ambulance left with the injured man. She wanted Arthur to go home but he insisted on staying on until at least six. Oddly, the CO2 alarm started going off early in the morning. It wasn’t unusual for it to go off after a fill but it had gone off several times in an hour. Arthur’s manager relayed the message to maintenance. Arthur went home and crashed. 

That night the alarm kept going off. Someone had been by earlier that day and said they couldn’t see anything wrong with the tank. They suggested to keep resetting the alarm and said they would send a specialist out in a day or two to look at it. 

Arthur was a bit disappointed when Eames didn’t show up that night. He wanted to see Eames and gauge where he stood. Arthur wasn’t sure what his off days were so he could be off work or even busy with the holiday travelers and their accidents. 

Arthur felt dizzy; something was off, but he powered through and went home that morning, figuring he was just tired. 

 

***********

Here it was, Christmas Eve, and Arthur was feeling sick. He leaned against the counter, his head swimming, coated with a sheen of sweat. Did he catch the flu? Should he call his boss? How could he? It was Christmas Eve and she had a small child. He can make it until someone comes in at six and just leave early. 

Traffic was slow, no one would care if he left. Just four more hours. He can make it. 

It was about an hour later when Arthur tossed his dinner into the trash can. Waves of nausea washed over him after one bite and he found himself retching. When he straightened, the world swam around him. 

Arthur stumbled, knowing something was really wrong. He caught himself against the counter as black spots danced in his vision. 

He was going to pass out. This wasn’t a flu, this was something else. 

Arthur felt his knees buckle as things started to go fuzzy. The last thing he remembered was desperately trying to press the silent alarm. He wasn’t sure if it triggered. 

Everything went black and Arthur slumped to the floor. 

**********

“Arthur?!” Eames’ voice had a strained edge to it, “Arthur, I need you to respond. Let me know if you can hear me.” 

Arthur groaned. Something was making his nose itch. Arthur swatted at it irritably. 

“None of that, darling,” Eames muttered, adjusting something on his face. 

Arthur cracked his eyes open and quickly shut them again. Bright lights hurt and the world tilted. “Where am I?”

“In the ambulance. You blacked out due to CO2 exposure. The tank apparently ruptured. You’re lucky you hit the alarm, who knows what would have happened if you had sat there much longer.” Eames’ warm hand was a brand on Arthur’s arm. 

The world tilted again and Arthur realized it was ambulance pitching as it turned a corner. “Suffocation,” Arthur muttered. “I would have suffocated.” 

“You said it, not me.” Arthur could feel Eames checking the IV in his arm. 

“The repair techs were there yesterday.” 

“Maybe the alarm was because of a slow leak? And it must have finally let loose.” Eames paused for a long moment. “You gave me quite the scare.” Eames’ voice cracked a little and Arthur was finally able to open his eyes. 

Eames hovered over him, tears rimming his eyes. Arthur’s breath caught in his chest. The light made Eames look almost angelic. 

“Professional detachment be damned.” Eames whispered, before leaning in and brushing his lips against Arthur’s ever so gently. 

Arthur gripped Eames’ arm weakly feeling the warmth from Eames’ lips against his. The kiss was chaste and Eames was the first to pull away. “I supposed this isn’t the best time to ask but, when this is all said and done, do you want to get some coffee?” Eames looked nervous, teeth catching that full bottom lip. 

Arthur chuckled, a raspy harsh sound, and brushed his fingers over Eames’ hand. “I’d love to.” 

 

Arthur was released from the hospital a few hours later and Eames was waiting outside, still in his uniform. 

“How are you feeling?” Eames asked, pushing himself away from the wall he was leaning on. 

“Like I need some coffee.” Arthur looked down at his rumpled uniform, the only clothes he had with him. “And a change of clothes.” 

Eames chuckled. “Let me give you a ride home.” Eames’ voice sounded deeper, sending a shiver down Arthur’s spine. 

“Oh! By the way, Happy Christmas, Arthur.” 

Arthur glanced at his watch. It was Christmas day. “Merry Christmas, Eames.” 

“I hope you got me a present,” Eames teased, wrapping his arm around Arthur’s waist. 

“Oh I’m sure I can think of something.” 

**********

Two months later. 

Arthur put on his name badge for the last time. His new trainee was working with him tonight, a spunky girl who Arthur had no fear would be able to handle the weirdos. 

He was an hour into his shift when he spotted someone familiar slip into the door, looking around like she was in a dream. 

“Brandi?” Arthur asked, shocked to see his predecessor in the store knowing she lived a ways away.

“Hey Arthur! How are you doing? Ready to break free from this joint yet?” Arthur could tell she was a little drunk, probably on her way to the club. She was a bit short and chubby and Arthur adored her. She was a strange one for sure, but he had spent weeks training with her and he was very glad to see her. 

“Actually, this is my last night. I’m going to be an EMT. I start classes next week,” Arthur announced proudly. 

“Good for you.” Brandi gave him a smile, walking with Arthur to the beer cooler. “It’s one of those nights,” she declared pulling a 12 pack from the cooler. Arthur carried it for her and rang her up. 

“Are you going to be working with that sex-on-wheels EMT that was always coming in?” Brandi asked. “He was the highlight of my night.” 

“Actually, I’m dating him.” 

Brandi’s eyes went wide and her lips fell open. “You lucky bitch. You have my number. I need all the deets.” 

Arthur chuckled and promised that he would give her a call before giving Brandi an hug and watching her leave. 

Eames came by for his usual coffee, kissing Arthur deeply. “You could get me fired,” Arthur complained.

“It’s your last night. You could leave right now and no one could do crap about it.” Eames kissed him again before turning to fix himself some coffee. “Good news, love: when you come out of rookie school I will have my own ambulance.” 

“You passed your test?” Arthur asked, excited. 

“Yes, first in the class.” 

Arthur cheered, wrapping his arms around Eames. “Well technically Yusuf and I will be working a Trauma bus, but I can request a trainee as a third pair of hands…” 

“Well, I look forward to being under your wing.” 

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Btw yes that was a shameless self cameo there. Hey my prompt was my name! I couldn't resist!


End file.
